But GMB local government national secretary Brian Strutton said the claim was the “most sensible and reasonable claim that anyone can remember”. He added that the £1.5bn cost would be affordable because council staff had made £3bn efficiency savings in the past three years.

However, Brian Baldwin, chair of the Local Government Employers negotiating team, warned: “It must be borne in mind that if the pay settlement is set too high then local authorities will have to make unpleasant choices between cutting front line services and laying off staff, neither of which either the unions or the employers want to see.”